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China's Xi Signs Deals With Europe Worth Billions
French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping applaud as the president of Airbus's commercial aircraft business and the chairman of China Aviation Supplies Co. shake hands during an agreement signing ceremony at the Elysée Palace in Paris, on March 25.
YOAN VALAT/AFP/Getty Images
Europe is cautiously reaching out to China as its new trade ally.
By Daniel Di Santo • April 1, 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Europe from March 21 to 26, meeting with European leaders from Italy, France and Monaco, and signing an important series of deals related to China's Belt and Road economic initiative.
On March 23, Italy became the first G-7 nation to sign on to the initiative. Xi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio signed 29 deals on everything from banking to energy to sports, worth $2.8 billion. The China Communications Construction Co. will begin port management activities at Trieste and Genoa. Trieste is especially valuable to China's Belt and Road Initiative, since it provides access to the landlocked nations of Central and Eastern Europe.
On March 24, Xi arrived in France, where he signed trade deals worth $11.2 billion, in addition to a large $35 billion order for Airbus. The deal signals cautious but increasing economic cooperation between China and European nations. In total, the Chinese will receive 300 new airliners from the European aircraft manufacturer, a sizable order. The deal with Airbus is a disappointment for Boeing, following the grounding of its most popular medium-range plane, the 737 Max, across the globe following two fatal crashes over a five-month period, apparently related to flight control software.
Those involved in the deal were likely aware that the order is for the exact same number of planes China ordered from Boeing in 2017.
In France, Xi also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Together with French President Emmanuel Macron, they discussed "renovating multilateralism," a veiled reference to shifting more world trade away from the United States. Xi, Macron and Merkel discussed their shared commitment to multilateral trade relations.
"None of us is naive, but we respect China," said Macron after the meeting. "We naturally expect our main partners also to respect the unity of the EU and the values it holds for itself and the world." He characterized the budding trade relationship as a "trust-based partnership."
Despite this recent avalanche of deals, the European Union remains wary of China on several fronts.
"Obviously the exercise of power in human history doesn't happen without rivalry," Macron said. His comments show what most EU nations believe: The deals with China can move forward, but with caution.
For the first time ever, the EU officially labeled China as an "economic competitor" and "a systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance," in a paper published March 12.
Then there is the debate over Chinese telecom company Huawei, and whether or not its infrastructure should be used in the 5G telecommunications networks that the EU is planning to construct. The EU looks unlikely to ban Huawei, but remains skeptical.
Even in Italy, the epicenter of recent deals, there is concern among politicians. Paolo Gentiloni, who served as Italy's prime minister from 2016 to 2018, remains skeptical of China. He warned that it was geopolitically "unwise" to give China so much control of Italian infrastructure, and pointed out that what happens in Italy will have consequences for the EU, stating, "Europe is showing its divisions toward China, and this is not something that will strengthen our position even on trade."
At this point in time, most analysts will say that the EU-China situation could go either way. China could draw nearer to the EU and make more deals, even to the point that America becomes alienated from the rest of world trade. Others will say that the EU-China trade will be short-lived.
Yet there is an often-overlooked source that predicted the Belt and Road Initiative, the cooperation we see today, and the friction that comes with it; and it did so thousands of years in advance.
The Bible predicts a trade relationship between European and Asian nations. In Isaiah 23, God describes a trade alliance between Chittim (an ancient name for China) and Tyrus (elsewhere called the king of the north, referring to Europe). He calls this commercial alliance a "mart of nations." (Read our article "The Great 'Mart of Nations'" to learn more, and order your free copy of Isaiah's End-Time Vision.) The relationship between China and the EU will be powerful, but also fraught with mistrust. The Bible says these two powers will ultimately drift apart again and confront each other militarily.
Before turning against each other, however, China and Europe will use their economic power to besiege America financially. The EU is already China's largest trade partner. The latest avalanche of deals is yet another step toward the fulfillment of this prophecy. In Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry describes the impact that the Europe-China alliance will have on America:
Prophecy indicates that the German-led European Union will soon join forces with Russia, China and Japan to shut the U.S. out of more and more markets (see Isaiah 23). …
The United States and Britain are going to be left out in the cold as two gigantic trade blocs, Europe and Asia, mesh together and begin calling the shots in world commerce. These nations of Israel are going to be literally besieged—economically frozen out of world trade!
This will be the result of China-EU cooperation. Europe's increasing participation in the Belt and Road Initiative will have grave consequences for America, and will dynamically change the world you live in. To read more about how this growing trade relationship will hurt America, request your free copies of Ezekiel: The End-Time Prophet and Isaiah's End-Time Vision.
China becoming a superpower

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Las elecciones presidenciales de Kazajistán de 2022 se llevaron a cabo el 20 de noviembre de 2022 para elegir al Presidente de Kazajistán. Esta fue la séptima elección presidencial celebrada desde la independencia de Kazajistán en 1991 y la sexta elección anticipada consecutiva desde 1999.

Antecedentes
Originalmente programadas para diciembre de 2024, el presidente Kasim-Yomart Tokaev —durante su discurso anual sobre el estado de la nación realizado en septiembre de 2022 luego de los disturbios de enero y el subsiguiente referéndum constitucional— pidió elecciones presidenciales anticipadas para el otoño de este año, además de aumentar el período presidencial a un mandato no renovable de siete años a través de una enmienda constitucional después de la votación. A partir de ahí, Tokaev también anunció su intención de postularse para la reelección en un segundo mandato de cinco años. Sin embargo, esto condujo a una confusión sobre las anteriores propuestas de Tokaev, con especulaciones de que la elección le permitiría servir más de dos periodos como presidente y, como resultado, el 12 de septiembre Tokaev apeló al Consejo Constitucional con su propuesta de siete años mediante la ley del mandato presidencial redactada por los legisladores del partido gobernante Amanat, para que esta pudiese ser adoptada antes de las elecciones. El 13 de septiembre, el Consejo Constitucional en una decisión falló a favor de la solicitud de Tokaev, y con la ratificación del Parlamento, las enmiendas propuestas el 17 de septiembre fueron convertidas en ley. Luego se fijó la fecha de las elecciones mediante un decreto presidencial el 21 de septiembre.

Candidatos
Un total de 12 candidatos fueron nominados para la presidencia, pero solo seis cumplieron los requisitos necesarios para inscribir su candidatura. Tokaev fue apoyado por la Coalición Popular, una alianza electoral formada por los partidos políticos progubernamentales de Amanat, el Partido Democrático Ak Zhol y el Partido Popular de Kazajistán, así como diversas asociaciones públicas.

A Nūrjan Ältaev, ex parlamentario leal a Amanat y miembro de la dividida Coalición de Fuerzas Democráticas, se le prohibió postularse como candidato de la oposición después de que la asociación pública Mũqalmas lo encontrara falsificando el protocolo de su nominación presidencial, dejando así a Nurlan Auesbaev del Partido Socialdemócrata Nacional (que por primera vez participaba en una elección presidencial) como el único postulante de la oposición a Tokaev.

El listado completo de candidatos fue:

Kasim-Yomart Tokaev (candidato independiente, apoyado por la Coalición Popular)
Meiram Qajyken (Mancomunidad de Sindicatos "Amanat")
Jiguli Dairabaev (Partido Democrático Patriótico Popular "Auyl")
Qaraqat Äbden (Alianza Nacional de Trabajadores Sociales Profesionales)
Saltanat Tūrsynbekova (QA–DJ)
Nurlan Äuesbaev (Partido Socialdemócrata Nacional)

Resultados

Referencias

P2022
Kazajistan
Kazajistán en 2022

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Home›Features›What Does Your Face Say About You?
What Does Your Face Say About You?
by Andrew McCrossan
"Never judge a book by its cover." It's a painfully overused cliché that most people would accept as sound advice, and yet, it may not even be possible to follow. Recent studies have shown that humans may be pre-disposed to making far-reaching conclusions about others based solely off of quick glances at their facial expressions. Humans cannot help but to see an advertisement splattered with images of a confident politician, sporting a striking smile and a firm handshake, and not associate some positive feelings with the person. But how potent is this innate desire to guess traits?
Researchers have found a clear link between people's facial expressions and the stereotypes that others place on them. A key point to note, however, is that significant evidence supporting the claim that people's snap judgments are accurate has not been found. Many researchers, including Christopher Olivola, fear that too many important decisions in life are made based off of these often erroneous judgments.
"The fact that social decisions are influenced by facial morphology would be less troubling if it were a strong and reliable indicator of people's underlying traits," writes Olivola in a recent article. The qualities that people's faces reflect are rarely indicative of their true traits. This means that people are making important conclusions about others based on a sample of information that is far too small.
Olivola's research has also shown that politicians with facial structures that make them appear more "competent" are far more likely to win an election. Whether those people are more experienced, received higher marks in their higher education, or even did better on their SATs, is inconsequential. On the same note, another one of his studies carried out in a historically conservative region revealed that citizens of this area tended to support those candidates whose faces appeared more "Republican," even if the candidate was, in fact, a Democrat.
Photo courtesy of Tumblr
In another exciting study about cognitive neuroscience, researcher Tom Hartley and his team at the University of York have developed a computer program that can decipher a portrait and spit back what traits the person's face would suggest to the general public that they have. The group had volunteers look at portraits and write down what traits they assumed the person possesses. By feeding this information into a computer, the team was able to develop this program. Hartley notes that the program could be used to suggest the best picture for something like a CV or online dating profile picture, because it would choose the photo that conveys the image the person would want the public to see.
In his nationally bestselling book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell offers valuable insight into the debate over whether or not a split-second glimpse of a person's face is enough to make any useful conclusion about that person's personality. "There can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis," states Gladwell. While he never reaches an explicit conclusion as to why exactly the human gut feeling has evolutionarily developed to be so on point, he also recognizes the importance of taking more information into account before making some important decisions.
Knowledge of this information can be useful to apply in everyday life. For the upcoming elections this November, be wary of the personality traits that campaign advertisers want you to see in their candidates. Be wise enough to look deeper into the candidate's past accomplishments and political ideals. Campaign managers and advertisement creators are professionals at manipulating the public by putting forth images of their candidate that have been proven to effect positive reactions.
Secondly, utilize this knowledge in interviews and daily work life. Don a smile and lift your eyebrows, and you may very well leave a better impression on your interviewer or employer than you ever thought possible.
"The face is not a secondary billboard for our internal feelings," notes Gladwell. "It is an equal partner in the emotional process." This is to say that pretending to be confident or happy by smiling and manipulating other key facial movements can, in fact, cause one to be more confident or happy. The face is powerful enough to not only fool others into thinking you are confident, but also to fool yourself. So, smile on, look confident and be happy!
Andrew McCrossan
https://bcgavel.com/author/andrew-mccrossan/
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'13,000 Nights: Kossuth County Men in Axis POW Camps in WWII'
Peter Kaspari
pkaspari@messengernews.net
ALGONA — A new book telling the stories of the Kossuth County men who were prisoners of war during World War II is now available for purchase.
The book, "13,000 Nights: Kossuth County Men in Axis POW Camps in WWII," tells the stories of the 29 Kossuth County men who were POWs during the war.
Jerry Yocum, vice president of the Camp Algona POW Museum Committee, was the lead writer for the book.
He said the research for the book has been done over the past four years.
One of the book's purposes was to show the treatment of the American prisoners of war in the German and Japanese camps as compared to the POWs that were in American camps.
"It's really the story of their confinement and how it compared to the way the German prisoners were treated here in Algona," he said. "We had a German prison camp here that housed up to 10,000 prisoners of war. This story is a comparison of their treatment."
According to Yocum, the prisoners that were kept in both camps weren't treated very well, but those held in Japanese camps were treated more harshly.
"The treatment by the Japanese was far worse than the Germans," he said. "And there was one of our prisoners from our country who died in German hands, and two in Japanese hands."
The stories of the 29 POWs from Kossuth County vary in length, as Yocum said sometimes it was difficult to find documentation of each soldier's experience.
"Maybe families moved away or the person hasn't given any information about their experiences in the prison camp," Yocum said. "Several of them kept diaries, and that was very helpful."
Additionally, the book talks about the five men from Iowa who were prisoners of war in Germany, but once they were liberated, they came to Camp Algona to serve as prison guards.
One of those men was Melvin Yetmar, who was from Fort Dodge.
Yocum said Yetmar served with the 79th Infantry Division and spent 186 nights in a prison camp before he was brought to Camp Algona.
Though Yetmar has since passed away, Yocum said he and the book's other contributors were able to interview him on four occasions about his experiences.
Yetmar's brother, Eugene Yetmar, also served as a Camp Algona guard.
Those interested in purchasing the book can do so at the Camp Algona POW Museum, 114 S. Thorington St., on weekends. It can also be purchased daily at the Algona Chamber of Commerce, 123 E. State St. The book is $15.
The book can also be ordered by sending $20 cash or check to the Camp Algona POW Museum.
Yocum said right now there are 500 copies available, but there have been 500 more that have been ordered.
In addition to Yocum, the book's contributors include Richard Schiek as contributing writer and Don Hansen as editor. Steven Ross King, who serves on the museum's committee, was a writer, as was Annette Scherber and Jay Stowater. Allie Baker served as citation editor and Meghan Selke was citation writer.
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Checklists are an important means of quality assurance.
The problem and objective are to be defined and indicated in the project documentation (usually a report) before starting work. The procedure and applied method should be suitable for the problem and objective on hand. The documentation should contain a logical and comprehensible representation of the work as well as reasonable and unambiguous deductions, or indicate remaining uncertainties and propose further goal-oriented actions.
Depending on the problem and application, the scope and description of the geological project could vary. Regardless of the size, the following requirements should always be adhered to.
The problem and objective are defined and specified in the project work documentation (contract analysis).
The procedure and applied methods are suitable for the problem and objective on hand.
Current standards and directives are observed.
Reference material is listed (reference list).
Procedures and results are presented logically and comprehensibly.
The presentation is clear and concise.
Study area and exploration or sampling points are clearly defined (coordinates, elevations, site plan with scale, orientation). Measuring protocols, sampling protocols etc. are enclosed.
Data and interpretations are clearly separated.
The work contains comprehensible, reasoned and unambiguous conclusions; if needed, it contains details on representativeness or risk analysis.
Controls (co-advisor, supervision) were performed and documented.
These points represent the general principles for the documentation of geological work. In any case, observing them does the geology good!


The experimental mean pitch is defined as the advance per revolution when the airscrew is producing zero net thrust. It is thus a suitable parameter for experimental measurement on an existing airscrew. Like the geometric pitch, it has a definite value for any given airscrew, provided the conditions of test approximate reasonably well to practical flight conditions.
a pitch suitable for low-speed flight and take-off is liable to have a poor performance at high forward speeds, and vice versa. This was the one factor that limited aircraft performance in the early days of powered flight.
A great advance was achieved consequent on the development of the two-pitch airscrew. This is an airscrew in which each blade may be rotated bodily, and set in either of two positions at will. One position gives a fine pitch for take-off and climb, whereas the other gives a coarse pitch for cruising and high-speed flight. Consider Fig. 9.6 which shows typical variations of efficiency tj with J for (a) a fine-pitch and (b) a coarse-pitch airscrew.
attainable is as given by the hatched line, which is clearly better than that attainable from either pitch separately.
Subsequent research led to the development of the constant-speed airscrew in which the blade pitch is infinitely variable between predetermined limits. A mechanism in the airscrew hub varies the pitch to keep the engine speed constant, permitting the engine to work at its most efficient speed. The pitch variations also result in the airscrew working close to its maximum efficiency at all times. Figure 9.7 shows the variation of efficiency with J for a number of the possible settings. Since the blade pitch may take any value between the curves drawn, the airscrew efficiency varies with J as shown by the dashed curve, which is the envelope of all the separate 77, J curves. The requirement that the airscrew shall be always working at its optimum efficiency while absorbing the power produced by the engine at the predetermined constant speed calls for very skilful design in matching the airscrew with the engine.
The constant-speed airscrew, in turn, led to the provision of feathering and reverse – thrust facilities. In feathering, the geometric pitch is made so large that the blade sections are almost parallel to the direction of flight. This is used to reduce drag and to prevent the airscrew turning the engine (windmilling) in the event of engine failure. For reverse thrust, the geometric pitch is made negative, enabling the airscrew to give a negative thrust to supplement the brakes during the landing ground run, and also to assist in manoeuvring the aircraft on the ground.


New plans could see a petrol station built at a city centre supermarket by reducing the number of parking spaces.
A planning application has been submitted to Peterborough City Council to create a new filling station at Asda in Rivergate.
The proposals would see four pump islands providing eight filling stations, but will see the size of Asda's current car park reduced from 433 spaces to 390 spaces.
A spokesman for Asda said the new petrol station would be beneficial to motorists.
He said: "If approved, our planning application for a petrol station at our Peterborough Superstore will introduce a great Asda service to the store and help drive down the cost of motoring for local people.
However, the plans have not been welcomed by sustainable transport charity Sustrans, who said the city centre needs to focus more on accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists.
A spokesman said: "We need to concentrate on creating happier, healthier and more liveable communities; and currently the severance created by Bourges Boulevard hampers this.
"Whilst a new petrol station may not seem like a big deal, it does set the tone for how that space in our city centre functions – ultimately, it'll attract more motor vehicles to the city centre; many of which will be passing through – this is contrary to the city council's city centre strategy, which states the importance of downgrading Bourges Boulevard and improving pedestrian and cyclists' access to the Rivergate area.


'Artisan' makers are using their labels to tell us how our chocolate is grown and crafted.
It's that time of year when the stakes can feel very high when choosing a chocolate for your sweetie. Yet the options are more bountiful and confounding than ever.
Valentine's Day chocolates in a growing number of stores are no longer limited to that familiar box of gooey, heart-shaped candies. Visit the sweets section of a Whole Foods or similar grocery store and you will see dozens of new and attractive chocolates stretching down the aisle, beckoning and bewildering in their variety.
Beyond mere deliciousness, many of them also claim a world-changing agenda, bearing a dizzying array of labels: Fairtrade, direct trade, Rainforest Alliance, IMO Fair for Life, American, bean to bar, raw, handmade, craft, artisan, to name just a few.
These fall, broadly, into two distinct groups. The first is the ethical trade labels (Fairtrade, direct trade, Rainforest Alliance, IMO Fair for Life), which aim to introduce economic and often environmental sustainability or improvement into the industry for cocoa farmers, whose work is underpaid and tenuous. The second comprises those labels that say something about the chocolate-making process itself (American, bean to bar, raw, handmade, craft, artisan). Generally these labels mean that the maker has turned cocoa beans into chocolate bars on a small scale, with attention to the differences between each batch, as distinct from mass-produced candies that are made to taste the same, every time we eat one.
Choosing from either category can send a message to both your loved one and the chocolate industry: that, as a consumer, you demand high standards for chocolate, either in fairness or quality. Faced with such a variety of labels, however, inevitable questions arise: Is there any real difference between these labels and claims, or are they all simply marketing hype? And what does it mean to be artisanal?
What makes an artisan: Based on my studies of chocolate marketing, I have found many differences among these labels. Fairtrade, for example, guarantees a minimum price, as well as a social premium per ton of cocoa purchased. The former introduces stability to farmer income in a market where prices can fluctuate wildly, while the latter provides additional funds, which are generally used for development projects in farming villages. Direct trade also pays a premium, but also makes it a priority to maintain close and mutually supportive relationships with farmers over time, with regular visits between chocolate makers and cocoa producers. This means the trade relationship happens between actual people who know one another and does not get reduced to numbers on spreadsheets or items in a company budget.
But what has become in some ways more important to me, especially around the big chocolate holidays, is less the distinctions among these labels, and more what the labels say about the different marketing strategies pursued by the global chocolate giants. That is, Hershey, Mars, Cadbury and Nestle, which have dominated the industry for more than a century.
To illustrate: My current work examines the use of the term "artisan" by new chocolate makers and compares this with the historical meaning of the word. I am looking for similarities and differences between the definition — who actually is an artisan? — and how this word is used to sell chocolate.
Historically, an artisan was a person who spent long years as apprentice to a master, training in a craft, and "graduated" only when that master said the trainee was ready.
Because the 20th century was so thoroughly dominated by a few chocolate companies, who guarded their manufacturing secrets quite closely, opportunities for chocolate apprenticeship vanished in the U.S. And yet, starting in 1997, when Scharffen Berger began marketing its chocolate as artisanal, the number of makers calling themselves "artisan" grew at an astonishing rate.
How chocolate artisans learn their craft: With no formal apprenticeship structure, where, I wondered, were these people learning to make chocolate? And how could they call themselves "artisans" if there was no one to evaluate whether they had mastered the craft?
I went into this research presuming that the word "artisan" on chocolate bars was essentially a marketing device; this came partly from my observations that many makers seemed to experience a learning curve only after their chocolate had debuted widely, improving in flavor and texture over time.
I have found other evidence for the marketing power of the term and continue to study what it means as new self-proclaimed artisan makers appear on the U.S. market. In my initial consumer surveys, for example, chocolate lovers associate the term with having passion for chocolate making, rather than formal training in the craft. Furthermore, my initial review of these data suggests that consumers translate "passion" for the job into good flavor. So the word "artisan" seems to "sell" a delicious chocolate eating experience, which may or may not be true.
And yet, I also see that "artisan" is one label among many that, taken together, are doing important educational work in the chocolate industry. As the great variety of labels makes clear, new makers are working hard to make their chocolate stand out from the rest, but they all seem to share a goal of deeper engagement with this food. By advertising their bars with these labels, they are also asking that consumers join them in this work.
What's in a label: Some makers focus on the ethics of trade, using websites and product packaging to bring us images and stories of farmers who grow cocoa. Others are passionate about cocoa bean strains, whose variety rivals that of wine grapes, and bring out the flavors of different harvests in their chocolates.
A few are keen to make us aware of the complex mechanical process of creating a chocolate bar. And a small but growing number are committed to keeping the value of chocolate-making with the farmers, by locating chocolate factories close to the cocoa fields.
Each time we encounter a chocolate bar that makes some honest and open claim about its production, we have an opportunity to learn about this food. Purchasing these kinds of chocolate bars — bars that are really trying to teach us something about this supply chain, at whatever point the maker feels most capable of intervening — allows us to make a statement that we want to understand what we are eating.
For the love of chocolate: My research has suggested that the global chocolate giants are not, as they are sometimes portrayed, willfully perpetrating evil in the world. But I can confidently say they do not provide consumers with enough information about their product and process to help us make mindful chocolate purchases. The product packaging for major chocolate candies — Hershey's Kisses, Mars Milky Way, Nestle Crunch, for example — gives no indication that this food once grew on a tree, or that a farmer was involved in its production. These brands are sold on the strength of their recipe — a consistent taste over time — rather than information about where the cocoa came from, who grew it, or how it got from the farm to the factory.
As small-batch, "neighborhood" chocolate makers rise in number, no matter what label they choose, they are collectively working toward providing that information.
And this education at least opens the door to a future of equity, in which cocoa farmers would be better paid for their work, and chocolate eaters willing to pay a price that reflects its true value. In such a world, of course, we would not need any labels at all.
So buy your chocolate with love for Valentine's Day, by buying it thoughtfully. Read the labels, and all the information they provide, and choose one that feels right.
We are not going to change the world in one holiday, or even a decade of Valentine's Days. But we will take the first step to a more just chocolate world if we take the time to know this food, and to understand all the skill and sweat and sacrifice that went into bringing it from a tree to our hands.
Kristy Leissle lectures at the University of Washington-Bothell. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.


In this episode from the "Louisiana Cooking with a Change of Heart" series of "A Taste of Louisiana" from December 28, 2002, Chef John Folse visits Diana Politz at her home in Napoleonville, Louisiana. She shares her family recipe for Stuffed Eggplant in Italian Gravy. In his kitchen, Chef Folse prepares a healthier version of the Stuffed Eggplant in Italian Gravy. He also makes healthy versions of Round Steak and Poached Pears.


Crystal Candle Holder. Magnifying glaas and crystal in particular shot to popularity in the 18Th century. It was around the time that goblet makers in Czechoslovakia developed a new kind of lead ravenscroft that would enable them to operate it more easily and make more effects such as lowering, engraving or stenciling. The luster of the crystal was such that it became in great demand for household items such as candlesticks. Most glass candlestick holders are of the candelabra style with either a sole candle or multiple spots. Cut glass bowls help to make effective floating candle dishes. Once the evenings turn dark and the chilling weather is definitely on us and embraces the chances to cosy on the sofa for a simple night in front of the fire. Psychological data reports in the candle market since the demand of the candles can be significantly increased during the winter seasons.
Nemiri - How to remove black mold hgtv. Black mold can be an insidious problem for homeowners, potentially leading to a costly removal process and even a host of health problems but by learning how to get rid of black mold safely and effectively, you can protect the health of your family and the value of your home, without breaking the bank. How to remove black mold bob vila. How to: remove black mold don't let an infestation of black mold damage your home and health with a few natural ingredients, you can eliminate the harmful substance without the help of a. 3 ways to clean black mold e. When you remove any items with black mold, bag the affected objects as soon as you can this will keep the black mold spores from spreading in the air 6 call a professional mold remover if your black mold problem is extensive. How to get rid of black mold the easy and cheap way. There are many chemicals on the market that can kill mold, but polluting your house with additional toxic stuff might be counterintuitive if you're trying to avoid health hazards don't worry, there are several safe and natural ways to get rid of black mold in a bathroom or carpet. How to remove black mold from wood removal guide. Because black mold on wood can cause harmful health affects, is unsightly, and can potentially weaken wood structures, it is very important to remove it as soon as possible although black mold removal may seem daunting, the job can be completed with just a few steps there are several techniques that can be used for to remove black mold from wood. Remove black mold properly black mold health symptoms. Remove black mold properly it can be difficult to properly remove black mold, but there are several methods that you can learn on how to clean black mold the important aspect of this process is that you follow the right methods in order to completely sanitize the area and prevent future mold problems from occurring. How to remove mold from walls and keep it away permanently. How to remove mold from walls just about every home gets the stuff surprisingly, newer homes get it more often than older ones that's because mold occurs in areas of higher humidity and tighter seals around windows and doors in new home construction keep in more moisture than drafty old homes. Killing toxic black mold how to remove mold safely. Just be safe and take the necessary precautions when removing large areas of mold in this video you'll learn how to remove mold according to the most of the epa recommendations. How to remove mold: mold remediation the family handyman. Almost every home gets mold we'll show you how to identify mold and how to remove mold, as well as the big ones, like black mold removal, that have gotten out of hand mold is a major league nuisance it blackens the grout lines in your shower, discolors drywall, shows up as black spots on siding. How to get rid of mold remove mold guide do it yourself. The comprehensive list of ways to kill and remove mold black mold, or any other mold for that matter, can be harmful fortunately, there are many different ways to get rid of mold here is a list of the various cleaners and solutions you can use to remove mold in your home.


There are fears of civil war in the Malagasy Republic. The Socialist Party has given?
Background: There are fears of civil war in the Malagasy Republic. The Socialist Party has given a warning of the danger of civil strife, at a time when secret consultations are being held to form a government to replace the one dissolved last weekend after an apparent attempted coup d'etat.
Head of State General Gabriel Ramanantsoa announced the dissolution of the government last Saturday (25 January), as first reports of the New year Tananarive. The rebels were led by General Ramanantsoa's former military adviser, Colonel Brechard Rajaonarison.
There has been no news on the fate of the rebels, who had barricaded themselves in at the police base, and there were indications that general Ramanantsoa was trying to negotiate a settlement, rather than risk a confrontation which could spark violence throughout the island.


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FCSO looking to adopt offender monitoring system
Innovative nonprofit churns out new WSSU professor
by WS Chronicle
The PhD Project, an award-winning program to create a more diverse corporate America, has announced that Project participant M. Dee Guillory has successfully defended her dissertation, "Perceived Brand Age and Its Influence on Choice."
She received her Ph.D. in marketing from Georgia State University and has accepted a faculty position at Winston-Salem State University.
Guillory is one of only 86 female African American marketing business school professors in the U.S., most of whom have become professors since The PhD Project was created in 1994.
The Project's vision is to diversify corporate America by increasing the number of minority business professors (African American, Hispanic American and Native American) by attracting more minority students to study business. The nonprofit was founded in 1994 by the KPMG Foundation. It recruits minority professionals from business into doctoral programs in all business disciplines. Since its inception, The PhD Project has been responsible for the increase in the number of minority business professors from 294 to 1,176.
Dr. Guillory began her Ph.D. journey by attending the 1998 November PhD Project Conference. Each year, highly qualified professionals who are considering leaving their careers to enter doctoral programs in business are invited to The PhD Project Conference where they hear from deans, professors and current minority doctoral students about the benefits of pursuing a business Ph.D.
Conference participants are provided with the tools and resources they need for the application/admission process to doctoral programs. Once they enter a program, every minority business doctoral student in an AACSB accredited U.S. business school becomes a member of one of The Project's five (accounting, finance, information systems, marketing and management) Doctoral Student Associations (DSAs).
"Dr. Guillory has succeeded in the very difficult endeavor of becoming a business school professor," said Bernard J. Milano, president of The PhD Project and president of the KPMG Foundation, founder and lead funder of the program. "She has demonstrated dedication, hard work and intelligence in joining the rapidly growing ranks of minorities choosing to influence the next generation of business leaders as college professors. The PhD Project takes great pride in her achievement and looks forward to following her success throughout her career."
"Perceived Brand Age and Its Influence on Choice"1994accountingaward-winning programBernard J. MilanoBusiness & Careersdissertationdiverse corporate Americadoctoral programsDoctoral Student Associationsfaculty positionfeaturedfemale African American marketing business school professorsfinanceGeorgia State UniversityHispanic Americaninformation systemsKPMG FoundationM. Dee Guillorymanagementmarketingminority business professorsminority doctoral studentsNative AmericanNovember PhD Project Conferenceone of 86Ph.D.The PhD ProjectU.S.Winston-Salem State University
Wake Forest joins White House initiative on women, girls of color
Triad Airbnb hosts earned $7.3 million in 2018
Minorities 45 percent of new Salem class


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Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
Welcome from the Program Director
Basic Science Curriculum
Anatomy Laboratory
Biomechanics and Biomaterials
Other Components of the Basic Science Curriculum
Resources & Equipment
Athletic Coverage
International Orthopaedics Elective in Chennai, India
Visiting Student Rotation
Home / For Residents & Fellows / GME Programs / Residency Programs / Orthopaedic Surgery Residency / Our Program / Basic Science Curriculum / Other Components of the Basic Science Curriculum
All the components of the basic science curriculum are taught by board-certified faculty who have special interest in or have done fellowship training in that particular field.
The master's program at The Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI) provides a significant basic science education in courses such as biostatistics and epidemiology. This program, which involves up to six core courses and three independent study courses, is now required of two of the four residents who enter the program each year.
Moreover, we have added basic science faculty affiliations to the department. For example, neurophysiologist Joyce Deleo, PhD, is interested in the role of cytokines as well as other mediators of inflammation and pain in various musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain, and is a resource available to our residents.


We recognise that every child and young person placed with us is unique. We provide highly personalised packages of education and care which meet the individual needs of children and young people with complex and severe learning disabilities, combined with significant communication difficulties, including little or no oral language.
We recognise that commissioning authorities will have specific requirements which relate to the individual needs of children, young people and families. Our specialist teams across education, residential care and therapeutic services are always on hand to discuss these requirements prior to any assessments taking place.
At the heart of everything we do is our ethos 'Communication for Life' and the great conviction that by improving communication skills, our students may gain greater independence throughout their personal educational journeys and beyond.
Our packages of education and care are highly personalised in order to meet the individual needs of children, young people and their families. This includes the services and support we provide via our school, college and residential care provision or via our outreach services which are delivered in a wide variety of settings locally, regionally and nationally. We also provide a range of short break services, including services which support children and young people on the edge of care. All of our services can be delivered to children and young people aged 2 to 25.


Throughout numerous studies, researchers concluded that skipping lunch leads to accomplishing less at work or school and burning out. Also, the metabolism slows and weight increases. Then, people will often try to compensate for their lack of energy by drinking coffee, energy drinks, or sodas. However, it makes a bad situation worse, because..
Calculate where you invest your energy. How much is spent on work, friends, bad habits, distractions, and attaining the goals you seek? See what areas of your life are well-energized, and where you are in need of a mental, physical, and spiritual energy boost!


TOP floor 2 bed 2 bath in highly desired Vista Ridge. This family friendly unit is ready for you to make it your own. Bright open floor plan with bedrooms on opposite sides. This building has been maintained extremely well and has excellent management . Private balcony facing North. Enjoy the convenience of having an in suite laundry room with full size washer/dryer and storage locker on the same floor. Low maintenance fees. Only a 5 min walk to City Centre, transit and shopping. Short walk to Forsyth Road Elementary School. NO age restrictions, 1 dog or cat allowed, and no rentals. Don't miss this one! Open house March 3rd & 4th from 12-2.


The Early Access open-world, dinosaur island survival game ARK: Survival Evolved isn't staying in its prehistoric-style roots. Instead, developer Studio Wildcard has ensured that ARK players can eventually gain access to a crafting tier of very advanced, sci-fi gear. This enables them to take their fight to the next level, putting together full combat suits and flying around. Or, they might want to be more vicious and kill things (or people) with lasers. So while the PC crowd could mess with this TEK tier first, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players now have access to the TEK tier thanks to the latest update.
See a trailer below including more goodies contained in the same update. ARK: Survival Evolved is currently available on Xbox One via the ID@Xbox program, Steam Early Access and PlayStation 4.


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3:00 pm – 4:00 pmFreakonomics Radio
Breakthrough Success
We tend to look down on artists who can't match their breakthrough success. Should we be celebrating them instead?see more
Democratic Presidential Candidates Take the Stage in Second Debate
Mina Kim
The stage is set for the second night of the first Democratic presidential primary debate for the 2020 election at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida. A field of 20 Democratic presidential candidates was split into two groups of 10 for the first debate of the 2020 election, taking place over two nights, hosted by NBC News, MSNBC, and Telemundo (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
We recap Thursday night's Democratic presidential debate, which features current frontrunners former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, as well as California politicians Sen. Kamala Harris and Rep. Eric Swalwell. What did you think? Which candidates stood out to you and made their mark?
Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown podcast
Charlotte Alter, national correspondent, Time


Each time you use your credit cards at restaurants and online transactions exposes you to risks of credit card scams. Vital information such as your credit card number, name, birthday, and address may also be stolen through fraud survey calls, emails, and internet forms. Your credit card may be skimmed or copied and used for unauthorized, expensive purchases.
Never give your credit card details to someone you do not trust.
Never send important information through email.
Avoid using auto-complete options in your web browser to fill in credit card details.
If you suspect that your credit card has been skimmed or your information has been stolen, report it immediately to your bank. You can also try reporting it with Scamwatch.
For more information on credit card scams, click here.


Branded products with hight quality.. Long lasting..
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Everlast roofing sheets do not rust , have excellent thermal properties which keep temperatures cool and are 100% environment friendly. With the kind of characteristics it displays along with excellent durability and toughness no wonder aluminium is replacing conventional roofing materials across segments/ industries.
It is made of aluminium and is ideal for all roofing and cladding needs. It is easy to use, durable and economical to work with. Using aluminium for roofing has many benefits.


Former WBC World Super Welterweight Champion Mikaela Laurén (29-4, 13 KOs) will challenge female pound-for-pound star Cecilia Brækhus (31-0, 8 KOs) for the Unified World Welterweight titles on October 21 in Stokke, Norway.
Laurén lands a dream match with the Norwegian fighter following back-to-back victories over Szilvia Szabados and Kita Watkins, and wasted no time telling her Scandinavian rival what she thought of her at today's kick-off press conference in Oslo.
''Cecilia is a great boxer, but as a person, I don't respect her. I think she's fake, she's a diva, and she doesn't treat other people with respect,'' said the 'Nordic Queen' Laurén, who is eager to avenge her October 2010 World title defeat to Brækhus.
''She may have beaten me seven years ago but I'm a completely different fighter now. I was just a novice back then and now I'm a seasoned pro. I've always had fitness but now I have much better technique and I'm stronger than ever.
Brækhus is back in action after outpointing Erica Anabella Farias in front of her home fans in Bergen, and 'The First Lady', now 32-0, says she is looking forward to facing Laurén as she looks to extend her eight-year world championship reign.


コッツウォルズから帰ってきました! We came back from Cotswolds!
We also went to Cotswolds last year.
We drove to sevral villages last year, but we stayed in the village called Winchcombe this time.
Delicious cream tea and peaceful sceneries made us relaxed!
Our mind has moved to Japan already!
only about travelling in Japan!
The holiday in Cotswolds is finished now, so we can only think about Japan!! Leaving in 2 weeks!
I'd like to research about Japan but would have no time.
We go back to my hometown and will do sightseeing around Kyoto.
1.相方を京都観光へ連れて行く。To take my partner to Kyoto.
2.相方を奈良観光へ連れて行く。To take my partner to Nara.
3.おいしい焼肉屋さん・ラーメン屋さんへ行きたい! To go to good Japanese BBQ/Noodle restaurants.
4.相方を町屋風の居酒屋・カフェへ連れて行く。To take my partner to Japanese style cafe.
5.相方を東京観光へ連れて行く。 To take my partner to Tokyo.
10.フリマをやる。To hold an stall in flea market.


Foam rolling applies pressure to certain body parts to help relieve pain, keep your joints mobile, and make your muscles supple. This quick 11-minute lower body foam roll session will leave you feeling ready to go in no time. Feel free to do it daily. Note: foam roller and ball required!


Statistics are used to make critical judgments about society and fuel policy debates through different configurations that link together three components: a) the questioning of policy appropriateness and fairness; b) the categories and statistical tools used in evaluations; c) the economic, social and political theories invoked in interpretations and explanations. Using convention theory and the sociology of engagements, the article offers a perspective view of how these configurations have changed over nearly half a century in France, based on a single statistical source. This approach to "the politics of statistics" identifies four main configurations around four main measurements of human characteristics: social origin, occupational skills, human capital, migration history.


According to statistics from the International League Against Epilepsy, as many as 65 million men and women around the world struggle with epilepsy, including nearly 3.4 million in the United States. In their Beverly Hills office, Dr. Ravinder Singh and his team at Premier Neurology Medical Group provide compassionate, innovative epilepsy care, with a focus on reducing the frequency and severity of seizures. If you'd like to learn more, schedule a consultation with Dr. Singh to discuss your specific circumstances and explore treatment options. Online scheduling makes it easy to find an appointment time that fits your busy schedule.
Your brain handles a significant amount of electrical activity on a daily basis. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder marked by unprovoked seizures that occur with little warning. Those seizures cause a surge of electrical activity within your brain.
Researchers are unsure of the exact causes of epilepsy, and the condition can develop in people of all ages and genders. There's no known cure for the disorder, but it's possible to manage epilepsy symptoms and enjoy a healthy, active life.
There are several different types of seizures. Partial seizures occur without a loss of consciousness. Symptoms might include dizziness, twitching limbs, or changes in vision, hearing, taste, or touch. You might also become unresponsive or perform repetitive movements.
Generalized seizures are marked by lack of consciousness. You might experience muscle stiffness, rapid twitching of arms or legs, or an inability to remain upright. Additional symptoms include loss of bladder control, uncontrollable shaking, or biting your tongue.
What are some treatment options for epilepsy?
Certain medications can help control epilepsy seizures. Finding the right drug combination and dosage can be challenging, and these medications can interact negatively with other prescription drugs. There are also serious side effects that can occur while taking anti-seizure medication.
You may prefer to try alternative therapies for managing your epilepsy. Dr. Singh can guide you through your options when it comes to herbal supplements and vitamins. Vitamin supplementation is especially important for men and women who rely on anti-seizure medications, which can create an increased need for calcium and vitamin D.
Acupuncture also offers a potential treatment path. It's possible that acupuncture can reduce seizures by changing your brain activity.
Through your partnership with Dr. Singh, you have access to these and other treatments that can help improve your experience with epilepsy.
What role does diet play in treating epilepsy?
There's strong evidence that certain dietary choices can help reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures. Specifically, the ketogenic diet is found to have a positive impact.
The keto diet is centered on eating more fats and less protein and carbohydrates. Dr. Singh offers customized nutrition counseling and diet plans to help you reach your treatment goals.
If you're living with epilepsy and interested in trying a new treatment path, schedule a consultation with Dr. Singh at Premier Neurology Medical Group today.


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How do I inactivate an account after 14 days without changing a password?
Thread starter red
I am trying to test some new user policies and I would like test this. I just need to know how to set it up so that after 14 days go by without changing your password, your account is permanently disabled.
This change would apply to all current and new users.
steelmanronald06
Look at useradd -e
that's for expiring an account after a certain date. I want to set up a new policy that expires accounts that haven't changed their password 14 days after they're supposed to.
useradd -f
check /etc/shadow and on the 3rd field, there's a day count of how many days since Jan. 1, 1970 has come as of today. You can do a bit of math and check the dates the user has registered in a manner to minus it from Jan. 1, 1970. Then add 14 and if the 2nd field hasn't changed, then you could use an if in a cron script.
Victor Leigh
Just curious. What's the objective of doing this? Wouldn't this shut out a lot of users?
Victor Leigh said:
the command I was looking for was chage -I
The reason for this is that if an account is inactive for that amount of time, without me being notified as to why they're gong that long, I think there's something wrong and I do not want them having access to my systems.
Latest: KGIII


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https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2021/01/studies-confirm-alarmiang-insect-decline.html
Insects are vanishing at an alarming rate—but we can save them
Insects aren't just pests. They're crucial for the planet and our food supply, and scientists say we can all pitch in to help.
Photograph by David Liittschwager, National Geographic
Photographed at Iyarina Station at Gomataon
A backlit sheet collects night-flying insects at a field station in Ecuador.
By Christine Peterson
Every year, the number of insects flying over, crawling on, or burrowing in some parts of the planet drops by a percentage point or two. That means areas of severe decline could lose as much as much as a third of all their insects in two decades.
That's the bad news, scientists reveal today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Dozens of insect experts contributed to a series of reports in the journal on just how bugs are faring around the world, for better or worse.
The good news—if good news is to be found—is that not all insects are declining so quickly. Some are even flourishing. And most important, researchers say, there's hope for keeping our planet buzzing with its most abundant and diverse creatures.
The insect world, estimated at up to 10 million species, is suffering from more than one problem. Threats range from deforestation, climate change, and invasive species to industrialized agriculture, and even light pollution. (Read more: Where have all the insects gone?)
"Death by a thousand cuts," is how David Wagner, a University of Connecticut entomologist, who contributed to the new report, puts it.
Robust insect populations are vital for a variety of reasons, ranging from how they support the world's food supply to how they create backyard flowers through pollination. Although most of us would prefer not to encounter many of the planet's tiniest creatures, their role in our lives can't be overstated. Nor can the need to make saving insects a priority, scientists say.
"Insects, like every bit of the natural world, are declining," says Matthew Forister, an insect ecologist at the University of Nevada, Reno, who also contributed to the report. "But it's clear insects have a possibility to rebound. It's grim, but it's not too late."
Beyond the hyperbole
Reports of global insect decline aren't new. During the past few years, a growing body of studies and news stories has drawn attention to the problem in starkly different terms—declarations of insect Armageddon on the one hand to reports challenging notions of a pending apocalypse for the six-legged on the other.
Wagner says he and other researchers who contributed to the new report aim to move beyond the hyperbole by analyzing as much research as possible concerning insects' current global status.
"This is a much more bridled, careful, critical assessment," he says, than some of the previous reports highlighting extreme losses in particular regions and extrapolating them across the globe.
A checkered white butterfly (Pontia protodice) feeds on Texas vervain.
Photograph by Rolf Nussbaumer, Nature Picture Library
Are insects declining at an alarming rate? Yes, he says. Is it more complex than imminent global collapse? Also yes.
As an example, Forister, who studies butterflies in the western U.S., points to two species representing very different situations.
The gulf fritillary, generally found in southern portions of the U.S., Mexico, and Central America, is now flourishing in California because people there cultivate its host, the passion vine, a popular ornamental plant.
By contrast, the large marble butterfly, which thrives on invasive mustard plants, was widespread until its population crashed, likely victim of the triple whammy of climate change, habitat loss, and pesticides.
Forister's study focuses specifically on how climate change affects butterflies. Species are struggling with wildfires, drought, and extreme weather events, and while earlier theories posited that butterflies in mountainous regions might simply move up or down mountainsides to take advantage of better conditions, that doesn't seem to be the case, at least not for all species.
Other species, including the famous monarch butterfly, did better than expected during the summers of 2011 to 2015, when warmer conditions gave them more time to reproduce. But that didn't stop the continuing decline of monarchs in the West. (Learn why western monarchs have been denied endangered species protections.)
In the midst of devastating-sounding statistics, Forister and Wagner say there's hope.
Germany pledged almost $120 million to insect conservation, monitoring, and research in 2019. Costa Rica endorsed international organizations spending $100 million to inventory and sequence portions of the DNA of "every multicellular creature in the country over a decade," which will be particularly important for the countless unknown tropical insects, Wagner writes in the report's introductory essay.
Citizen scientists are stepping up to help expand the knowledge base. An app, iNaturalist, where users upload images for identification and categorization, is becoming one of the largest sources of insect observations.
Solutions to overarching problems such as climate change require legislation and new policies, but individuals themselves can make a difference for insects in their backyards, neighborhoods, and communities, Wagner and Forister say. (Read how bumblebees are going extinct in a time of climate chaos.)
One way is to curb use of pesticides and herbicides on lawns. Better yet, consider converting some of your lawn to a natural area. Habitat for insects could increase by more than four million acres in the U.S. if every home, school, and park converted 10 percent of its lawns, entomologist Akito Y. Kawahara, of the University of Florida in Gainesville, writes in the PNAS report. Grow native plants and limit exterior lighting that attracts and often kills nocturnal insects.
Even more simply, leave sticks in gardens and some bare earth uncovered in the fall for bee nests, says Lusha Tronstad, an invertebrate zoologist with the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database who is studying the decline of the western bumblebee and was not involved in the report. Don't rake up leaves before winter.
"People can be a little lazier, and that will benefit insects," she says. (Here are nine ways to support bees and other pollinators at home.)
Tronstad also notes that a species' fate can change rapidly for the better or worse. The western bumblebee has declined by 93 percent in just over two decades.
Meanwhile, the endangered Karner blue butterfly, named by novelist and entomologist Vladimir Nabokov, has been responding well to restoration efforts, Wagner says. The small butterfly has long suffered from fire suppression and residential and commercial development in its sandy habitat from the edges of the Great Lakes to New England. Efforts to plant and promote lupine – which the adults and larvae need – and other habitat improvement projects are helping.
Will small, personal changes like restricting pesticide use on your lawn prevent the worst effects of climate change? No, Forister says. But it will make a difference in your local insect populations, and those differences add up.


Check out the highlights of FC Bayern München's pre-season tour of the USA during which Carlo Ancelotti's men mixed business on the pitch with pleasure off it.
Reckon you can do better with your favourite Bayern stars than Signor Ancelotti? Prove it here!


Home > Is this guy trying to rip me off?
I'm finding it's not uncommon for the procrastinating the guy is doing. From first glance, I don't think he's ripping you off, but you never know these days.
Go ahead and send the bill. The longer you wait, the worse it'll be regardless if he�s procrastinating or ripping you off (I�m learning this first hand, myself).
I agree. Send him the bill. You've done your job. If he's too lazy or too busy to do his end of things, that is not your problem. You did the work and you deserve to get paid.
It is so hard to know these days whether or not someone will take advantage of you. It is a good sign if that first check hasnt come back that this guy could just be a procratinator...but your gut instinct is the best judge since you met/spoke with him.
I dont see anything wrong for billing him at this point. Your original agreement was for a couple of day turnaround- which you fulfilled.
Sounds like he didn't have the website finished when you emailed him your text. Just bill him and let him know that you will complete minor revisions if necessary but that you expected to be finished with this project by now.
I agree with everyone else. Go ahead and bill him. You deserve to be paid for what you have done.
I agree also, go ahead and bill him.
Well, if the guy is trying to rip you off, you might just as well find out now. I'd bill him. Whatever he does will remove doubt.
Send the bill, he's completely out of line for waiting this long when the agreement was a couple of days, and this has to lead you to question whether or not he will be a resource in the future. Without any insurance of reliability, there's no reason to continue the relationship. Send it and find out now, before you commit to anything else!


Donald Trump has been in power for a month. And the world is a different place. The old, tired, kleptocratic two party system in the US is all but broken, replaced by a delusional narcissist who's making America great again.
Keith Richards turns 73 today. From RocknRoll bad boy, drug fiend, human riff and most wasted being on the planet to corporate pirate banker and smug dad of Johnny Depp in one life time. Happy Birthday from The Devil's Road, Keith. We know you've been this way.


The Bookanistas have been on a little bit of a hiatus, lots of members super busy with writing and revisions, but I've done several book reviews on The Nogiku Series by S.J. Pajonas and I wasn't going to leave you hanging with book #3 REUNITED!
I know I say it too much (if there is ever such a thing when praising a book or series) but l really love Pajonas' Nogiku series, particularly because it's so different than anything else out there in New Adult. It has action, romance, amazing world building and it raises interesting questions that always keep me pondering my own world and it's future.
What's completely fascinating about book #3 is the world building. Even though this is Sanaa's first time moving to a new planet, as readers we've already been dropped into Pajonas' amazing world building in her earlier books. (We know how well she does it–happily she does it again.) But now Sanna and her friends and family have traveled across light years, to their future, their next adventure. I love how we see everything for the first time through the eyes of the inquisitive Sanaa. One of my favorite thing in the book is her "unique" relationship with animals–something she had no exposure to on her last home.
Additionally, I've always been a fan of Pajonas' ability to seamlessly incorporate LGBT characters into her story. There is nothing preachy or pushed in her approach. There is just a cultural philosophy that includes these differences, while ironically and interestingly highlighting other prejudices.
If you haven't had the chance to read the earlier books in The Nogiku Series, get on it so you can read REUNITED–you're going to love it!
If you could write or read a post apocalyptic book that combines interesting cultures in a unique way, what would you pick? What other post apocalyptic books are your favorites and what makes you love them so much?